Chapter 99: Trust is Pain
Killian’s POV
Pain stabbed through my skull like a dagger as I hated in the middle of the corridor, gripping the wall for support. The rage coursing through my veins was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Not even the bloodiest of wars had ever ignited a fury
like this.
My Ruby. A traitor
Elysian howled inside my mind, his presence overwhelming, suffocating
“She would never betray us!
“You know my Queen wouldn’t!”
“Give her a chance to speak and prove herself, Killian, Don’t make a mistake you’ll regret for the rest of your lifer
Elysian let out a cry of pain as I forced him to stop urging me to turn back to that woman. I clenched my teeth against the backlash.
“Then explain what I just witnessed,” I snapped at him, shaking my head violently as if that could erase the memory of her pleading face, her tear–streaked sorrow, I couldn’t allow myself to be deceived.
“No, Elysian!”
“You absolute bastard, Killian, You’re listening to that leech?!”
The connection between wolf and master was severed in an instant. I didn’t need advice. I didn’t need warnings. To hell with all of it. In the end, I was always meant to be alone. I had been fooled by the mirage of her kindness. Footsteps echoed behind me, and before long, Leonidas was there, his face darkened by anger and immense disappointment in me. It only added fuel to my own emotions.
“What the hell are you doing, you bastard?” he barked, bold enough to shove me hard. “Did you really think throwing Ruby into the dungeon was the right move? Why didn’t you investigate first and just keep her confined to her room?!”
I clenched my jaw, barely restraining the urge to lash out. Gripping him back, I finally had the man where I wanted him- cornered by my sheer strength.
“You forget your place here, Leonidas. She lied to me. She went behind my back. Did you really expect me to just let that slide?” I snapped.
Leonidas let out a humorless laugh. “You are the biggest fool I’ve ever met. She was hiding something, yes, but not because she betrayed you. And you know it!”
“Then why was it so damn hard for her to be honest with me?!”
“Look at yourself, Killian, Leonidas swatted my hand away, his golden eyes flashing dangerously. “This is exactly why she couldn’t be honest with you!”
Just as I was about to retaliate, Irwin chose that moment to step forward, his smirk barely concealed. “The evidence is right before our eyes. I am deeply concerned that an outsider in our kingdom could be the downfall of this realm. Shouldn’t you set aside personal emotions for the sake of your people?”
I turned to him, grabbed his collar, and slammed him against the stone wall. “I don’t need you to tell me what I can see for myself. And don’t ever think that your loyalty grants you the right to speak so freely, Irwin.”
Irwin barely flinched, the bastard. “I’m only speaking the truth, My King. She is a poisoned thorn in your side. And it needs to be removed. Immediately.
Leonidas swore. “If you lay a hand on her, I’ll rip your guts out, Irwin!”
“Enough!” I shouted, shoving Irwin away before turning to Leonidas. “If you’re so certain she’s innocent, then prove it. Until then, she stays where she is.”
Leonidas‘ fists clenched, his teeth bared in a sharp grin as if he had just been challenged in the colosseum. “I will prove it. And when I do, you’ll regret this more than anything you’ve ever done.”
I ignored him, turning on my heels and heading toward the war chamber. If I wanted to rid my mind of that damned woman, I had to drown myself in something else: war.
‘I will make them pay. Die in the most agonizing
way possiblal‘
The scent of blood filled my nostrils as I carve Successfully unlocked! merciless precision. My sword sliced through enemy flesh like butter, and the satisfying crack of punes beneath my claws brought a twisted sense of relief and gratification. This was what I knew and understood. The battlefield never lied. Never deceived. It never made me feel like a fool who had been played like a puppet.
Corpses littered the ground, some still twitching, others already growing cold. My soldiers tore through the enemy ranks
1/2
Chapter 99: Trust is Pain
like wolves among sheep. Screams echoed across the valley as the traitors and spies foolish enough to stand against me fell beneath my wrath.
A sword came at me from the left, and I caught it mid–swing, snapping the wrist of the fool who thought he could defeat me. His agonized howl was brief as I drove my blade into his chest, twisting it before pulling it free. These men were either wolves or mixed–blood Lycans. Some were outsiders from the orc race. I remembered that I had torn their underworld apart for daring to defy me.
Leonidas fought beside me, just as ruthless as I was, despite the vast chasm between us. Even in the midst of the bloodshed, I could feel his heated gaze on me, his silent accusations that I had sunk too deep into the darkness.
I don’t fucking care.
Elysian rumbled within me, restless, his fury a mirror of my own. “Please, stop, Killian.”
“Don’t order me around, Elysian!” I snarled in my mind, ducking beneath a swinging axe and driving my knee into my attacker’s gut.
More enemies fell. More blood soaked the ground beneath my boots. But no matter how many I killed, no matter how many corpses I left behind, I couldn’t erase the shadow of Ruby’s face from my mind.
Damn her for making me feel this way.
And worst of all, the tyrant still wanted her despite everything.
With one final roar, I plunged my claws into the heart of the last standing enemy, watching as he choked on his own blood before collapsing to the ground. From the corner of my eye, I saw Irwin approaching. He bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesty, we’ve found something that may interest you,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes. “What is it?”
“If you wish to see it, my men and I will guide you.”
Tossing the corpse’s heart from my hand, I strode past him, my voice laced with warning.
“You’ll pay with your head if it’s not as interesting as you claim,” I threatened.
“Of course, Your Majesty. I’m willing to risk everything for you.”
Subscribed
